Ivo Minar bounces back against Federico Del Bonis to win at Rabat Challenger
World number 171, Czech Ivo Minar made an epic comeback to win against world number 140, Argentinean Federico Del Bonis in three sets. He registered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over the Argentinean to advance into the semis at the 2011
Morocco Tennis Tour on Thursday.
The 20-year-old Argentinean, who recently reached the quarter-final at the Salinas Challenger before losing to his countrymen Andres Molteni, showed brilliant tact in the first set. Regardless of having a lower first serve percentage
of 44 percent as compared to 26-year-old Del Bonis’ 64 percent, he earned an acceptable 71 percent win on it. He then won the set with a single break of Czech’s serve and with a score line of 6-4.
The Argentinean showed no improvement in the second set and committed two double faults. He scored an even lower first serve percentage of 42 percent as opposed to Minar’s 69 percent. Del Bonis earned a perfect 100 percent win
on it but he couldn’t make an impact. Minar on the other hand, showed his defensive skills and saved all the four breakpoints and converted the only opportunity he got to his advantage to clinch the equalizer set 6-3.
The 26-year-old carried his winning ways in the second set and held his serve in the first game. He later held all his serves, hammered an ace and saved all the five breakpoints. Minar also earned an 86 percent win on his lower
first serve and converted two opportunities to his advantage to win 6-2.
He will next face world number 169 Slovakian, Martin Klizan. The Slovakian reached this spot after dumping the world number 216 Spaniard, Guillermo Alcaide in straight sets.
Another player who advanced to the semis was the world number 328, Tunisian Malik Jaziri. He trashed world number 292, Spanish Pablo Carreno-Busta in straight sets.
The Tunisian outplayed the Spanish qualifier in the whole match. In the opening set, he calmly scored a higher first serve percentage and registered an amazing 86 percent win on it. Jaziri also fired a ferocious ace and converted
one breakpoint opportunity to his advantage to clinch the set 6-3.
In the final set, regardless of having a slightly lower first serve share of 73 percent as opposed to Carreno-Busta’s 74 percent, he earned an acceptable 63 percent win on it. He also fired two aces, saved three out of five break
points and converted three out of four breakpoint opportunities to his advantage to win the set 6-4. He moves into the next round where he will face Australian Peter Luczak.
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